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The boss of Whole Foods Market, the organic food retailer that launched a huge store in London last month, has been caught using Yahoo!’s stock market forum to criticise a competitor, which he then proceeded to buy.

John Mackey, chief executive of Whole Foods, used the moniker ‘Rahodeb’ to make postings about rival Wild Oats over several years, according to a filing from the Federal Trade Commission.

Companies are pouring billions of dollars a year into social media and influencer marketing campaigns, many of which target consumers on Facebook-owned Instagram, in an effort to parlay social engagement into sales.